Dress Up, Dine In

Sometimes you meet people whose lives are such a grand story that there is no way you'd ever be able to participate in all of it. If you're lucky you get to be in it for moments, days, a year. There seem to be an infinite number of days. Until suddenly there aren't enough. Even though you're states away and haven't seen that someone great in a couple of years it still hurts your heart. You realize through a terrible moment that memories have no sense of time. Friendship has no sense of distance. You've been included in a grand story that now has a new beginning. If there's karaoke in Heaven, I'm sure you're singing away!

Florida comes back to me in mysterious ways. The most recent of which was in the car on the way home from Seth's birthday dinner. The XM radio was playing a random song and we both looked at each other and said "did they just say 'Ybor City'?" And they did. my favorite part from The Hold Steady's "Slapped Actress" Don’t tell my sister about your most recent vision. Don’t tell my family—they’re all wicked-strict christian. Don’t tell the hangers-on, don’t tell your friends. Don’t tell them we went down to Ybor City, again. Don’t tell the dancers, they’ll just get distracted. Don’t tell the DJs. They already suspect us. Don’t mention the bloodshed, don’t mention the scams. Don’t tell them Ybor City almost killed us, again. We are the theatre, they are the people—dressed up to be seated, lookin’ upwards and dreamin’. We’re the projectors. We’re hosting the screening. We’re dust in the spotlights…we’re just kinda floating.

Last summer I was navigating my way through the grid system and trying to find a decent mall in this state. This summer I'm embracing my inner Mountain Woman and figuring out what all the fuss is about. I'm doing this in designer jewelry though...that's my compromise. 4th of July weekend gave us the perfect excuse to pack the car, drop the puffs off at the Farm and road trip to southern Utah. W e proceeded to experience some of the more am azing things in our own backyard. Like... ... Best Friends : The animal sanctuary where the sh ow Dogtown is filmed is my new "happy place." It's home to dogs (of course), cats , birds, horses, pigs, and bunnies who are looking for their forever home. In the meantime they are taken care of at the sanctuary where they get to spend their days in the appropriately named, Angel Canyon. ... the North Rim of the Grand Canyon: When you're heading to the "less popular" area of the GC, you don't expect